The proposed cruiser could be built in both gas-turbine and nuclear-powered forms. Nuclear ships would be intended to keep pace with carriers, while cheaper conventional ships would provide numbers. The suggested nuclear share ranges from roughly a third to a half. A rough cost comparison suggests it might be possible to build two or three conventional ships for the cost of a nuclear one. Common features could lower the costs of both variants. The Leahy class and Bainbridge are cited as a precedent for pairing conventional and nuclear designs. The nuclear form would revive the strike-cruiser concept.
Notable Point · 2:44:32-2:47:15
One cruiser design, two propulsion plants
Building gas-turbine and nuclear variants on a common cruiser design could combine affordable fleet numbers with escorts able to match nuclear carriers.